Weekend Preview-Bulls Visit Odessa For Three

BROADCAST OPTIONS: Tune in live on CBS Sports Radio 1440 and online at www.amarillobulls.com, beginning with The Bulls Warm Up Show Presented By Chick-Fil-A on Gem Lake Road at 6:40 pm. The games are also available on Hockey TV and fans should tune into the home audio.

BULLS NEXT AT HOME: The Amarillo Bulls begin a four game home stand on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 vs. Shreveport Mudbugs at 7 pm. Friday is the return of the Family Four Pack for $44 and Bring A Bud Pack for $22. It’s also Scout Night with discounted tickets for troops and packs.

Saturday is First Responders Night Presented By ER Now. Free Tickets for First Responders, while Family Members pay $8. There will be displays on the concourse and a vehicle parade during the intermission. It’s also the 2nd Scout Night.

GET YOUR TICKETS: Tickets for all home games are available at the Bulls Office located at 301 South Polk, Civic Center Box Office and all Panhandle Ticket locations, including United Supermarkets or by calling 806-242-1122.

THE SERIES: It’s the 9th, 10th and 11th meetings of the season between the Amarillo Bulls and the Odessa Jackalopes that’s part of the New Avenues I-27 Freeway Series. Each team has four wins in the series and at one point the Jackalopes had won three games in a row. Forward Brett Abdelnour has collected four goals and two assists for six points in eight games, while Austin O’Rourke, Gleb Murtazin, and Brendan Michaelian each have five points. Goaltender Jason Grande has all four Bulls wins and has poisted a 2.60 GAA in those contests.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: It’s a critical series for the Amarillo Bulls in their battle to remain alive in the South Division Playoff Fight. Heading into action this week, the Bulls trail the Corpus Christi IceRays by nine points but still have four games in hand. The Bulls will use most of those this weekend as the IceRays are off and don’t play. The Odessa Jackalopes are alone in second place in the South Division with 51 points and have a six-point lead over the Lone Star Brahmas.

NOT AFRAID TO PLAY EXTRA HOCKEY: The Amarillo Bulls and the Odessa Jackalopes have certainly been accustomed to playing more than the required 60 minutes of hockey this season. The Bulls and the Jackalopes have combined for 22 overtime and shootout games together. The Corpus Christi IceRays lead the entire North American Hockey League with 15 games.

LEAVING THEIR MARK EARLY: The opening 20 minutes has been an area of strength for the Amarillo Bulls this season. The Bulls have a goal differential in the first period of four and a shot differential of 22.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Since arriving in the Texas Panhandle newcomer Trey Bagwell has done a nice job for the Bulls, with three goals and two assists for five points in seven games. One of the goals scored was a game winner for Bagwell and that took place on January 20th in Amarillo. Forward Jared Domin continues to impress with four points (2 goals and 2 assists) in seven games.